The sweet little orphan donkey, Khanyisa, whom we collected from Kirkwood after her mom had been knocked over by a vehicle, was homed with another orphan child, roughly the same age, with only cows and sheep as friends. The two of them (and all the sheep and cows ;) were so happy when she arrived. They all decided the zoomies was a great idea. What a sight to see..for about 15 minutes all the animals , so precious to watch. Even the chickens got involved at one pointJ Go well little darlings enjoy your menagerie of a home.
A recheck on ongoing court case, was thankfully better than has been before, after a lot of effort though from our side. Why can’t people just do the right thing without fighting tooth and nail first? Eish..
Once again a complaint against a yard offering rides to the public. PLEASE NOTE: The accepted guideline is that a horse should carry no more than 15 to 20% of their own body weight with tack and rider included. Ie If your pony weighs 350kg it should not bear weight more than 55 to 70kg. Overloading can cause complications on the horses back, joints, tendons and cardiovascular system. There are however other factors like breed, age and style of rider that also need to be considered.
Jacques very kindly came and gave three of our horses a free dental check up and float. Thank you Jacques! We really appreciate your generous efforts. SEE PHOTO: (Yes the Handsome Horse in the photo is up for adoption ;)
Our Suzy, older Isuzu vehicle, went in for a desperately needed rust repairs. Hopefully will have her by early august. So only one vehicle for the month unfortunately.
A call for assistance for a very skinny donkey who has lost weight over the past few months. Upon Inspection it was found the other three donkeys were healthy and good. So separated skinny boy, gave him a double deworming three weeks apart and instructed to feed more fodder as not enough grazing. Donkey has improved slightly but if not enough by next visit, teeth will get done too…
Our two little surprises (Siya and Santa) that arrived in their mom’s tummy at their new homes six months prior, were both old and developed enough to get gelded. Very small but both done ;) Thankfully no more surprises..
Buttons, our yearling pony, who lost her mom to colic a month or two ago, arrived at her her new home with Chessie (young pony) and Sophie. Go well sweet child, now you have a real bff and a new foster donkey mom ;)
Two more stray donkeys collected in uitenhage, after eyes were kept on them till we arrived..
A recheck done on six crossbreeds, one Tb and Five donkeys. Still monitoring. Tick treatment administered for two horses.
Then ONCE AGAIN.. Livery yard owners getting us involved in there civil matters. We get so tired of telling people this but if you are going to put your horses in livery, ensure you have a black and white contract in place. If you don’t pay for your horses livery, the yard owner may sell your horse in lieu of the money you owe them or send the horses to us, whereby you will have to pay a fee in order to collect your horses.. Keep a paper trail of whatever u do..
A property check unfortunately had a stallion on the premises, so snip first then willonly suitable.
A recheck on one of our adopted out horses who recently lost her companion. All good for now just a little lonely J not for long if we can help it..
Four horses vaccinated against AHS.
Another Mangy Donkey in for treatment, dectomaxed and washing here we go again.. Lets hope the ringworm doesn’t fight back as hard as it has in the past..
Then a call for assistance with a case of choke. Choke can be very scary, for both animal and human. Choke isn’t always fatal but veterinary assistance is always the best option. Luckily the donkey was up and eating before the vet had to come out. It can disappear just as quickly as it arrives if you lucky. Massaging the throat gently toward the stomach can help ease it until the vet gets there..
Another two crossbreeds, two donkeys and two Tbs rechecked and good.
A recheck on complaint proving to show improvement and compliance from the owner has equaled to happier horses. Thankfully summer is on her way too. Better grazing, less cold, yay!
Another property check not quite right. Night /management camp and some more fencing off needed.
The sweet boy, Johnny walker, with a cancerous growth in his eye, who had been given to community members in the Tsitsikama area, was peacefully sent to heaven. After a few months of loving care and pain meds, the call was made. At least he was in safe hands in the end and knew real love before he left this world. Prince, the other horse involved in this case, will be surrendered over to us to find a suitable home. Thank you to Jenny from Tsitsikama Welfare for reaching out and working with us to get those two out of the situation they were in. See you soon!
A call out for a donkey with a bloody eye. The owners couldn’t get close enough to assess. So we assisted, caught her and cleaned so we could asses properly. Luckily no major damage but the eye is blind.. Hence the puncture wound no doubt. Assured the owner she will manage fine with one eye as they do.
A recheck on six crossbreeds who were thankfully being fed at the time of visit. Things hopefully finally looking up at that troublesome premises.
Assisted in tick treatment for three donkeys, happy donkeys besides the ticks. All three visited and treated.
Two more property checks for donkeys.. We are running out of donkeys!! One good to go, other not ideal no.
Plans undergo for one or maybe two Humansdorp clinics as quite a large number of horses in that area. Some stern education also needed to some not so disciplined teenagers. Plus minus 60 horses
A question on how often donkeys need to have their hooves done. In theory they would benefit to have their hooves trimmed once every two months. This does however depend on the individual circumstances. Environment - where donkey is kept. Wet and lush areas may need more often than that and dry, harder areas will need less often than that. It also depends on the individuals hoof health, some have weaker hooves than others as well as different shapes, or slight deformities which could require more regular management. So yes use your eyes and head..
A Saturday call out to a donkey that was stuck solid in the mud – Lake Farm area. The staff rushed out to assist, getting completely covered in mud (Thank you Carli), but succeeding on getting the jenny out and safely to us for a thorough wash down (and warm brunch to calm the poor thing) and proper assessment. The donkey has an abnormal gate/deformity in her legs which obviously aided in getting her stuck in the mud, especially that the owner of this donkey allows her to roam with the cattle in that area, leaving her to navigate some difficult territory in the wet muddy weathered roads. Owner did however reach out, warning given and donkey returned. Asked for donation for all the effort but nada yet..
Lastly a call for another donkey with colic, vet came out and caught it early, thankfully. Colic is not something to mess with, the sooner a vet can get out to treat it the better and the more chance they have of surviving. Colic is a SERIOUS condition that can be FATAL if not treated ASAP.
Till Next Time
Carla
GENEROUS DONATIONS RECEIVED DURING July FOR WHICH WE ARE MOST THANKFUL!
DONATION – Ruth Warren – old tack
DONATION -Colleen Muller- tack donation and Pictures
DONATION - BDR/Crestview Stables- Christmas in July- Donation R4000. Thank you ladies .
DONATION – Jacques Dentist – Did three Horses at the Unit Free of Charge! Thankyou Jacques!
Please note we also have donators who put money into our account every month, even though we don’t mention your names and amounts, please know how grateful we are to you for it!
VOLUNTEER – Brett
VOLUNTEER – Danell
VOLUNTEER - Emma
VOLUNTEER – Sophie
VOLUNTEER - Kate
Banking Details: Eastern Cape Horse Care Unit: Standard Bank Current Account 080733875, Code 051001. Reference: Your name. Facebook: EAST CAPE HORSE CARE UNIT Contact numbers Office cellphone 072 357 2505 NO LANDLINE email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.